62-year-old woman, son travel across Vietnam by motorbike

Son takes 62-year-old mom on a trans-Vietnam bike tour Chau Chi Dat, a senior medical student, said he had intended to go alone but his parents demurred, and it took a few days to convince them. But then his mother, Truong Nho, thought it would be a fun experience and asked to tag along. Then his father began to worry about their safety. But with the help of his older brother, who had previously taken Dat on a backpacking adventure across Vietnam before, they managed to assuage his fears. It took them four months to plan and prepare for the trip, which began on July 17 in Saigon and ended on August 14 in Hanoi. Despite going on a similar trip in the past Dat had butterflies in his stomach before leaving. The day before departure he had kept checking the weather forecast and felt nervous as if he was about to take a really important exam. He took lots of medicines since he was traveling with his mother. He thought it would be important to always stay on high alert and away from risky situations. When they were at Van Roi pass in Kon Tum Province in the Central Highlands, locals told him about a shortcut, but there was a landslide on that route. Not wanting to take any chances, he decided to head back to Gia Lai Province and spent the night there. His caution had not been misplaced: there were reports of five landslides that night. Dat… [Read full story]